Glass: Undistorted Performances with Di Lallo
By Ralph Graves
Giusto Di Lallo created this recording with some very specific objectives. The first was to mark the tenth anniversary of Philip Glass’ Piano Etudes. The 20 etudes were first published — and recorded — in 2014.
Since that time, several pianists have recorded these works. When he studied the scores, Di Lallo realized that many performers took liberties with the music. Philip Glass recognized that players tend to make pieces their own through interpretation.
But as Di Lallo noted in the liner notes, “As I delved deeper into studying these pieces, I realized that, besides the tempos, pianists
often altered the dynamics and phrasing as well. As a composer myself this left me with a certain sense of frustration.”
Di Lallo’s goal was to be as faithful as possible to the printed music. So the tempos, dynamics, and phrasing are true to Glass’ vision. Does it make a difference?
Oh yes.
These are not mechanical performances. Di Lallo brings all his musicianship to making these pieces come alive. It’s just that he’s aligned his own expressive nature with Glass’ ideas.
Di Lallo wisely chose not to record all 20 etudes. By picking and choosing, he’s created a compelling and engaging program. Plus he chose not to play the etudes in sequence. This creates some interesting contrasts between the pieces, and provides additional insights into Glass’ music.
This is a fine collection. I’m looking forward to doing some A/B comparisons with other recordings of the etudes. I suspect there may be a few surprises.
Philip Glass: Selected Piano Etudes
10th Anniversary Special Edition
Giusto Di Lallo, piano
SOMM Recordings SOMMCD 0695
